Three Degrees - Collage

The Three Degrees are a female Philadelphia soul and disco vocal musical group, formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although always fronted by a three person line-up, there have been a number of personnel changes, and a total of twelve women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. They are best known for their million selling 1974 hit song, "When Will I See You Again".

They were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia. They were discovered by producer and songwriter, Richard Barrett. Barrett was responsible for groups of the 1950s such as The Chantels, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and The ValentinesBarrett recorded the original line-up on their first song entitled, "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)", for Swan Records. Turner and Porter both left the group and were replaced by Helen Scott and a variety of other ladies before Janet Harmon joined in the mid 1960s. Barrett also began managing and producing Sheila Ferguson who was a high school friend of Scott. Barrett also signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965. The Three Degrees released a number of singles such as "I'm Gonna Need You" and a cover version of "Maybe" with Scott taking the lead vocals.

By 1966, with many performances lined up, Scott decided to leave the group to start a family. Ferguson filled in for Scott and would remain in the group for 20 years. Ferguson sang backup on all the group's Swan recordings as did the Three Degrees for her solo singles. By 1967, Harmon left and was eventually replaced by Valerie Holiday. Barrett signed them to recording contracts over the next three years with Warner Bros., Metromedia, and Neptune record labels; the latter of which which was owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who would work with group five years later. Their close harmony singing made them a popular nightclub act but that hit record still eluded them.

By 1970, they were signed to Roulette Records and they released their first album, Maybe. The title song took them to #4 on the U.S. R&B charts. Other singles like "I Do Take You" and "You're The Fool" followed, as did their second album, So Much Love. This success landed them a cameo appearance in the 1971 film, The French Connection, filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York.

In 1973, with their contract with Roulette ending, Barrett signed them to Philadelphia International Records under Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, where they were to have their greatest successes. They also made an appearance on the television series Sanford and Son, singing their song "I Didn't Know." The first song they recorded there was with the studio band MFSB, entitled "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" which was the theme song for Soul Train. In total, The Three Degrees recorded four albums for the Roulette label.

The first album spawned three hits. "Dirty Ol' Man" went gold in the Netherlands and Belgium. The second single was "Year Of Decision" which made it to the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart. Their third single "When Will I See You Again" was the one that broke the trio into the mainstream. It topped the UK Chart and reached no.2 in the US, earning the trio a gold record.

That is the wiki low-down; my low-down is that this song reminds my of my younger days driving around in the car with my Mom while she sang along with the A.M.radio. And this is a real song of the times, iot couldn'y have been recorded at any other time than the late 60's or early 70's, in this case smack dab in teh middle, 1970.
A song that mixes in soul with pop and with slight psychedlic edge... Enjoy.

And before anyone gives me shit about the sound quality, this was dug at a flea market and cost me 50 cents... If you like the song go buy some mp3's or whatever and get off my back.... I'm sure some of these ladies are still alive and could use your cracker ass green backs!

Three Degrees - Collage

The Spacemen - The Clouds

"The Clouds" is a 1959 instrumental by The Spacemen, an instrumental studio group. The single released on the Alton label, was the only chart hit by The Spacemen. "The Clouds hit number one on the R&B chart for three non consecutive weeks, and also peaked at number forty-one on the Hot 100.

The Spacemen Consisted of one Samuel "Sammy" Benskin (September 27, 1922 – August 26, 1992) who an African American pianist and bandleader.
He was born in The Bronx, New York City, and made his professional debut around 1940 as piano accompanist to singer and guitarist Bardu Ali. He worked throughout the 1940s with jazz musicians including Stuff Smith, Benny Morton and Don Redman. By the early 1950s he had begun leading his own piano trio, as well as appearing as a soloist and as accompanist to singers including Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler. In 1954 he also joined a group, The Three Flames. Later in the 1950s he worked as accompanist to Dinah Washington.
In 1959, with the band credited as The Spacemen, he recorded an instrumental, "The Clouds", written and produced by Julius Dixson and issued on Dixson's Alton record label. Other session musicians playing on the record were Panama Francis, Haywood Henry, and Babe Clark. The song originally had vocals, which Dixson removed, releasing the instrumental version. This rose to # 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, and # 41 on the pop chart. "The Clouds" was the first number one on any chart released by an African-American owned independent record label, predating Motown's first # 1 by a year.

Sammy died in Teaneck, New Jersey, aged 69.


The Spacemen - The Clouds

Swastika Girls - Joey Ramoe Is Dead EP

This record is everything i hate & love about record collecting and music, from the mildly offensive name, totally inept playing, the one sided vinyl, the flip with some scrawled words written around in the circle of the disk, "You’re going to notice something, we decided to turn off the overhead music for a day, As our Nation continues to prosper and our lives proceed, we at 24 hour fitness want to create a quiet reminder of what occurred that terrible day. We hope that you think about your own workout, you’ll also take time to reflect upon both the suffering and selfless heroism that defined that day in our Nations history. We are glad you chose to spend a portion of it with us. Enjoy you’re quieter than usual workout…" the hand written sleeve with picture of someones vacation cut into the back side of the sleeve, obscure and hipster name dropping, this thing screams contrived, trying way to hard, hipster bullshit all over it. I'm sure these hipsters all sat around and patted each other on the back with smiles of utter joy and delight when this piece of shit came out and I’m sure Daddy paid for the pressing…
I don't know shit about this band and really i don't care much, i've already made my opinions about them and either way, i love this absolutely horrid piece of shit and it gives me hope of uncovering more beautifully horrible records for the mere price of 2 dollars....

Happy Labor Day you miserable lot!

god-fucking-bless America!

Swastika Girls - Nice Ass But A Face Like A Dinosaur

Swastika Girls - Swastika Girls (Not A Fripp/Eno Cover)

Swastika Girls - Joey Ramone Is Dead

SHoD X

I'll be here all weekend, be back soon!

Cool Heat - Groovin' with Mr. Bloe

Get your weekend started with some COOL HEAT: 1970 instrumental, GROOVIN' WITH MR. BLOE 7" 45, originally issued as the B side to MAKE BELIEVE by WIND, this groovy instrumental features ARE YOU NUTS on the other side; a UK session group, MR. BLOE featured Elton John...

Not sure if that Elton John bit is true? But this was originally a "Wind" cut... Sending this one out to DK because i know he liked the A-Side so much way back when...

Cool Heat - Groovin' with Mr. Bloe

Bobby Gregg - The Jam Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Took Part 1 and Part 2 of Bobby Gregg's The Jam and mixed them down into 1 rocking track for you!!!

More rock less not!

Robert J. (Bobby) Gregg (born 1929 or 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a musician who has performed as a drummer and has also been a record producer. As a drum soloist and band leader he recorded one album and several singles, including one Top 40 single in the United States. But he is better known for his work as a drummer on several seminal 1960s songs, including Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence". He was also temporarily a member of The Hawks, which later became known as The Band.


Early career
Gregg first attracted attention by 1955 as the only white member of the otherwise all-black group Steve Gibson and the Red Caps. By 1962, he fronted Bobby Gregg and His Friends for a single, "The Jam - Part 1", which reached #14 on the Billboard R&B chart and #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The B-side of the single was "The Jam - Part 2". In 1963, he put out an album, released on Epic Records, called Let's Stomp and Wild Weekend. In 1964 and 1965, he released the singles "Any Number Can Win", "MacDougal Street", "It's Good to Me" and "Charly Ba-Ba". He also acted as a record producer at this time, producing songs by Sun Ra, Erma Franklin, Richard Wylie and Frank Hunter. He sometimes played the drums on the records he produced

Tid Bit #1: According to The Hound Roy Buchanan plays the git on this track....

Bobby Gregg - The Jam

Eddy Arnold - Cattle Call

Well this is no Slim Whitman, no one call quite yodel like him but here is a more tame and polished version of a song written by Tex Owens and done by Slim Whitman that i actually really dig... i know, why you ask? I have no fucking idea but i do....

Eddy Arnold - Cattle Call

Mad Dog & The Pups - Funkey Monkey

Funkey + Monkey's = Who fucking cares....

Me that's who! (and these days the red boy)

If anyone has an extra "fun key" please share with the devil, i need some fucking fun 'round these parts of hell... thnx...

Mad Dog & The Pups - Funky Monkey

Forward to the Caves Radio Show 8/20/09 & 250,000 Hits!

In honor of the devils music quietly slipping past 1 quarter of a million hits last night i will be on the air tonight from 8 to 10 PM EST doing my lil' ol' radio show!

it's been a while since our last show so hope a few will tune in via the web @

www.wlfr.fm

Cheers!
dd

On the air now, here is what we are playin'

sisters of saint francis - in heaven there is no beer
dayglo abortions - black sabbath
awesome color - step up
wig torture - psycho zone
the brats - zombie people
detention - dead rock and rollers
chronic sick - blood type: x
rotters - sink the whales and buy japanese goods
ism - i think i love you
d.r.i. - violent pacification
urinals - ack, ack, ack
cult hero - i dig you
the doctors of madness - bulletin
chron gen - reality
easy action - can't kill you - no where
g.b.h. - catch 22

straight arrows - magic sceptre
spider bags - hey delinquents
koro - 700 club
death sentence
lunatic fringe - who's in control
the clash - tommy gun
le face - no scene
lester bangs - let it blurt
agnostic front - last warning
broken bones - see through my eyes
corrupted morals - be all you can be
beefeater - wars in space
marginal man - marginal man
grim klone band - heats rising

R.E.M. - Dark Globe

Many moons ago, about 5 or 6 lifetimes ago i used to date a little lady who loved this here band R.E.M. - Me, not so much but Syd Barrett on the other hand is a whole other story. Anyway, this little lady also read little lady magazines and this here little flexi-disk came out of one called "Sassy"... yeah i own a record that came out of Sassy magazine so what... Im sure at the time Sassy must have sold a billion copies of the mag because of this selling point, i guess REM were huge back then but who knows how many of these little plastic flexi's exist now? I wonder how long these things will last? This one is starting to sound a bit fuzzy and almost makes it sound like an old 78... anyway, there is no need to say anything about R.E.M. - personnaly i don't care much about them and what can the little old devil add about the the madcap himself Syd? Just check this odd cover of Syd's Dark Globe as done by Mikey Stipe....

R.E.M. - Dark Globe

Chris Farlowe - Paint It Black

Alright today we get the odd cover song from one time lead singer of Atomic Rooster & Colosseum Chris Farlowe. This is Mr. Farlowe before his prog rock career was set in motion doing a kind of gypsy version of The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black".

I've posted his voice on the devil's music already doing All In Satan's Name with Atomic Rooster back when i did my Devil Month....

Farlowe's musical career began with a skiffle group, The John Henry Skiffle Group in 1957, then The Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet in 1958. He met lead guitarist Bob Taylor (born Robert Taylor, 6 June 1942, London) in 1959 and he joined the band Taylor was in (The Thunderbirds), recording five singles for the Columbia label, without much success. He then moved to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and recorded another eleven singles, five of them cover versions of Rolling Stones songs; ("Paint It, Black", "Think", "Ride On, Baby", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Out of Time"). His most successful was "Out of Time" which was number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1966. His next four singles were also well received. The most famous was "Handbags and Gladrags" (which was written by Mike d'Abo), later covered by Rod Stewart and more recently by the Stereophonics).

As an English R&B star of the early 1960s, Farlowe released one single, "Stormy Monday Blues", under the pseudonym, 'Little Joe Cook', which helped perpetrate the myth that he was black.

His association with jazz rock group Colosseum began in the 1970s, recording a live album and three studio albums Daughter of Time, Bread and Circuses and Tomorrow's Blues (2006). Daughter of time is a very under rated album IMHO...

In 1972 he joined Atomic Rooster and is featured on the albums Made in England and Nice and Greasy. He also sang on three tracks of Jimmy Page's Death Wish II soundtrack 1982 and Outrider album Hummingbird, Prison Blues & Blues Anthem in 1988.

Chris Farlowe - Paint It Black

The Devil's Music: Devil Dick Mix Vol. 8 - Instrumental Jams

Just a little something i threw together out of sheer boredom while thumbing through some boxes of "junk" 45's... Jam this loud over the weekend for maximum effect, preferably with copious amounts of yer fave adult beverages and birds of a feather...

Enjoy!

1. Dynatones - Steel Guitar Rag
2. Tobin Matthews - Leatherjacket Cowboy
3. Link Wray - Turnpike U.S.A.
4. The Routers - Let's Go
5. Curly & the Jades - Bullfighter
6. Preston Epps - Bongola
7. Bill Blacks Combo - Do It - Rat Now
8. Johnny & the Hurricanes - Beatnik Fly
9. B. Bumble & the Stingers - Mashed #5

The Devil's Music: Devil Dick Mix Vol. 8 - Instrumental Jams

The Futures - Our Thing

Here is a 45 i found while digging in Philly and it makes sense since The Futures Formed in 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

The Futures comprised of:

Frank Washington
Kenny Crew
James King
John King
and Henry McGilberry

Amjo Records released their first single in 1970, 'Breaking Up' b/w 'Our Thing.'

Richard Wright (deceased) sang lead on the Amjo side, along with other members, that with one or two exceptions, differed from the previously mentioned names.

Avalanche Records reissued the Amjo single the following year.

so enjoy this funky temps style soul from the city of brotherly love.

The Futures - Our Thing

Dave Peel - You're Walking Through The Rooms

Keeping in line with my weird downer outsider type crap here is another gem from Dave Peel. Not to be confused with lower east side yippie: (least i think not)
here is a weird fucked up country jam... your walking through the rooms of my mind...

i read this is from 1970 on the chart records discography which makes sense as it kind of rocks in a rural kind of way but with that country feel, but man, those lyrics and that singing.... whoa/ looks like Mr. Peel recorded a bunch of other records which sadly i know nothing about... maybe i'm better off.


Dave Peel -You're Walking Through The Rooms

Fearns Foundry - Now I Taste The Tears

Lately i 've been on a kind of "outsider" kick and while i don't know much about Fearns Foundry, there is almost ZERO out there other than a few copies of this 45 for sale, this certainly has a real outsider quality. This a real weird downer of a tune that rivals my posts on The Poppy Family or Bill Withers for weird and downer tunes.

Anyone have any info on the record or can point me in the direction of some more oddball, downer, weird and outsider stuff like this please drop the 411 on the devil. thnx!

Fearns Foundry - Now I Taste The Tears

Skull Snaps - Al's Razor Blade

Skull Snaps was a mysterious funk group that released one eponymous album on the small GSF label in 1973 before disappearing. They were in fact the group originally known as The Diplomats who had released numerous singles between 1963 and 1970 with middling success.

Original vinyl copies of Skull Snaps' one and only LP continue to exchange hands on the rare groove market for three figures. There are two reasons for this: one, it's rare, and two, the drum breaks from the album have been feasted upon for samples so frequently that samples of the samples have likely been sampled. It's not that the album is spectacular — it's merely a decent early-'70s funk record from some accomplished musicians who don't exactly leave a trademark of their own throughout its nine songs. This soul-drenched funk album is most notable for the drums of "It's a New Day." It's the album's strongest cut, and the opening drum pattern is as ubiquitous they come — you can hear it get put to re-use in well over two dozen popular rap songs.

Today to get your weekend started I give you this single from 1975 that does not appear on the very collectible Skull Snaps full length album! A very cool groovy funky instrumental jam with plenty of wicked guitar work, just what the devil digs! Dig?

Skull Snaps - Al's Razor Blade

The Rugbys - You, I

Something to get yout weekend started, some nice heavy, fuzzy, funky and psychedelic Rock and roll from 1969 by the Rugbys!

To anyone that follows the devil's music, i know my posts have been pretty eratic and non-consistant lately but that's just how we roll here, loosey goosey. But in all seriousness i no longer have a home PC so i get to it when i can... i hope of few are still tuning in lately...???

As for the Rugbys;

The band was formed in 1965 in Louisville, doing mostly covers. But as competition among Louisville groups to write and record original music increased, The Rugbys released two singles in 1968, "Walking the Streets Tonight" which was written by Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet, and "Stay with Me" witten by Steve McNicol. Both songs were released locally, and played on Louisville radio stations. But it was not until the band decided to release the B-side of "Stay with Me", "You, I", also written by McNicol (which then went to #1 on local stations), that they were signed to Shelby Singleton's Nashville. Tennessee record label, Amazon Records. Amazon re-released the single "You, I" in 1969, and the song became a national hit, climbing to # 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and # 21 in the Cashbox chart. The latter part of 1969 and all of 1970 were spent touring the mid-west and north east, playing on the same bill with artists like Bob Seger, Grand Funk Railroad, the James Gang and many others. Later that year, the band released their only album, Hot Cargo which received only mild success. "Wendegahl the Warlock" was the follow-up single to "You, I", but it did not chart.

The Rugbys rarely perform live anymore, however there are rumors about the release of a new CD featuring some previously unreleased material that was written about the same time as "You, I".

Steve McNicol (guitar)
Mike Hoerni (bass guitar)
Eddy Vernon (keyboards)
Glen Howerton (drums)

The Rugbys - You, I

The Emotions - Boss Love Maker

Today i give you what the ladies think of the devil... Boss Love Maker.

A trio of sisters with a strong gospel base, the Emotions (based in Chicago) were one of the leading female R&B acts of the '70s. Lead singer Sheila Hutchinson and her sisters Wanda and Jeanette were only teenagers when they crashed the soul charts in 1969 with the engaging "So I Can Love You," but they sang gospel as children and enjoyed secular fame locally before signing with Memphis-based Volt and working with producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

The Emotions - Boss Love Maker

The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything

So i bought 2 boxes of records recently of mostly 80's punk and new wave stuff with a little rock thrown in the boxes, and while digging through the boxes when i got them home i found this odd little thing. I say odd because it just seemed out of place amongst the Blondie, B52's and Knack records so i took a peep around the interwebs and found out its a highly sought after piece of early funky DJ disco vinyl that goes for a few bucks. So now i give it to you for nothing...

This Liverpool-based group had its origins in the Mersey boom. Lead singer Eddie Amoo was a former member of the Chants, whose excellent beat singles garnered considerable praise. Although they failed to chart, the Chants continued to record for various labels until the name was ultimately dropped. The Real Thing emerged in 1976 with 'You To Me Are Everything', which reached number 1 in the UK. They were also very snazzy dressers, just check the youtube clip...



The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything - Short Version

The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything - Long Version

Transcendental Sisters of St Francis - Lenny Rich - In Heaven There Is No Beer

Happy 4th America...
I can't tell you how many dumb ass records i have like the one here. I can not resist buying anything off kilter like this shit. I mean just look at these old hags. I bet they were old they day they were born. Funny thing is if you close your eyes while listening you can almost imagine the singing to be done by buxom blonde bombshells in German oompa outfits with some real mini shorts. Kinda strange these old bats singing about beer as by the tightness in their lips it don't look like anything but holy water passed through their gullets, but i've been wrong before maybe they were horny lushes that gulped down more than just beer...?
and that is why i am going to hell... what the fuck, there is no beer in heaven anyway...

Drink up, Drink up, it's later than you think....


Transcendental Sisters of St. Francis - Lenny Rich - In Heaven There Is No Beer

Unholy Swill - War Pigs

It's crazy to me to think that 1990 was already over 19.5 years ago....

Damn...

Anywho, here is something to get the weekend started, some noisy, don't give a fuck lo-fi punk ass shit from unholy swill. so bad its great.

I don't know shit about this band but i own a bunch of their 7 inches. I always suspected they were from one of the 5 boroughs of NY, probably queens... And in my mind each one of these gutter punks is long since dead of an O.D., AIDS or murdered. But in reality they are all probably wall street bankers and business tycoons. Either way for a hot second back in the late 80's and early 90's these dudes were making some seriously low brow and lo fi burnt out records. Anyone who can destroy War Pigs they way they do here is A-OK in my book...

Post Script: While writing this i got curious about the band and did a quick "google"... heh. Here is their myspace page for the 2 of you that might give a shit...Unholy Swill

Now i gotta go and find one of these shirts!



edit: my kid just came upstairs as i was playing this track, he's 10, and he says "where do i know this song from" i said its a cover of Black Sabbath. His replay was "It sounds like someone took a shit on Black Sabbath"!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!

Perfect description!

Unholy Swill - War Pigs